Chapter 1: Introduction
The presence or absence of a father profoundly impacts the development of gendered traits as a child transition from newborn to infant, toddler, preschool, and school-age developmental stages (Bryan, 2018, pp. 309-326). This influence is particularly significant for fatherless black males, who, having been raised in foster care, are now fathers themselves. The absence of a father figure in their lives can lead to unique challenges in developing positive black male-gendered traits (Kretz, 2021, pp. 538-539). Positive gendered characteristics attributed to men and boys include strength, dominance, competitiveness, and emotional stability. In contrast, those attributed to women and girls are sensitivity, apprehensiveness, attentiveness to others, and openly displaying affection toward men (Hilde, 2020, pp. 67-91). A father’s presence or absence plays a crucial role in shaping the development of all gendered traits in their sons (Carey, 2020, pp. 729-744). However, the struggle of boys who are disconnected from their biological fathers, leading to fatherlessness, in developing these positive black male-gendered traits is a pressing issue (Randles, 2019, pp. 7-20).
The journey from foster care to fatherhood is a significant transition for young black males. Fatherlessness plays a crucial role in shaping their understanding of fatherhood, which is fourfold: preservation, continuation, engendering, and creating a household (Carey, 2020, pp. 729-744; The Reformation Study Bible English Standard Version, 2015, Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 1:8). Black males who have experienced foster care and later become fathers, grapple with a unique set of issues and life perspectives (Thompson, 2022; White et al., 2022, pp. 1318-1328). Diverse male and female figures influence them in their fathering roles, and their understanding of how to father a son as a black male is shaped by their experiences of fatherlessness and foster care (Pettis & Sonnentag, 2023; Thompson, 2022; White et al., 2022, pp. 1318-1328).
The Child Welfare System reports African American children account for roughly 13.71% of the child population and 22.75% of the foster care population (Dettlaff & Boyd, 2020, pp. 253-274; Dettlaff, 2022; Pryce & Yelick, 2020, pp. 45-68). The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science discloses that a disproportionate number of African American children within the Child Welfare system fail to be returned to their families or be adopted (Kuusinen et al., 2021, pp. 85-87; Piccolo, 2022). The foster care ratio of black male children is 10.73 per 1,000 compared to 5.24 per thousand for all males in foster care. Black male and female foster children age out of foster care at a higher rate when contrasted with other ethnic groups. Black fatherless males exit foster care, averaging 28 months in care compared to 22 months in care for all other children. Black males dominate the aging out of foster care population as they transition from teens to adults. Additionally, ethnic identity issues also result from the absence of a black male father (Pettis & Sonnentag, 2023).
The problem this research study seeks to investigate is a lack of understanding of the experiences of black males who were raised without fathers in foster care as they form relationships with their sons (East et al., 2020, pp. 477-487; Rambert, 2021, pp. 324-362; Randles, 2019, pp. 7-20); Tyrus, 2020). Research has been exploring concepts related to fatherless black males, such as their education needs (Salazar & Schelbe, 2021; Taylor et al., 2022, pp. 1-26) and their overall health (Clemens, 2023; Devost, 2023, pp. 237-254; Johnson, 2021; Piel et al., 2019, pp. 77-89; Steen & Bethea, 2023, pp. 67-85). Little research exists on black fathers raised in foster care(Barrie, 2023, pp. 65-81; Randles, 2019, pp. 7-20). For this reason, this study will employ a qualitative research methodology. The process constitutes in-depth interviews and thematic analysis to explore the experiences and perspectives of black males raised without fathers in foster care and their relationships with their sons.
Scholarly research on black males focuses on the positive societal impact of families with biological mothers and fathers in the same home (Cross, 2019, pp. 691-712). Academic research on fatherless black males and their roles in families is limited, especially on black males who have been in foster care and their relationship with their sons (Cooper & Pugh, 2020, pp. 272-299). Research consistently demonstrates the positive societal effects on children raised by a mother and father in the same home (Cano et al., 2019, pp. 164-184; Dorsey et al., 2022, pp. 1178-1199; Fagan, 2019, pp. 139-142). Fathers who are playful with their infants ignite positive social, emotional, and cognitive outcomes (Amodia-Bidakowska et al., 2020; Katsantonis & McLellan, 2023, pp. 59-70). Additionally, research has also shown that single fathers may struggle with parenting strategies (Cooper et al., 2020, pp. 67-81), drug abuse (Yoshioka-Maxwell & Rice, 2020; Ahuja et al., 2021, pp. 310-319), and housing insecurity (Clemens, 2023; Gibbs et al., 2023) which, in turn, impacts their ability to form stable relationships with their sons.
A lack of understanding of black fathers’ unique perspectives may contribute to their negative social judgment, racial profiling, and misinformation, which can form their distrust of society (Trinh et al., 2018, pp. 157-179). Organizations aim to comprehend the black male’s instability and social maladjustment dilemmas. However, it is equally clear that further research is urgently needed to improve communication, identify solutions, and promote corrective resolutions.
The purpose of this qualitative case study is to understand better the experiences of black males who were raised without fathers in foster care as they form relationships with their sons. Research is sparse on the everyday relationships developed between black males who have aged out of foster care and their relationship with their biological sons ( Coates & Phares, 2019, pp. 1681-1694; Haniff, 2021; Strier & Perez‐Vaisvidovsky, 2021, pp. 334-346). The process will provide additional documentation on the black males’ unique perspectives on fatherhood who have experienced fatherlessness from their black fathers before becoming a father of a son themselves.
The study will include 8-15 black male participants who have been in foster care and now have sons who are between 6-10 years old. The black males will range between 21 and a maximum age of 45. The men will have been in foster care for a minimum of 5 years; they will not have been adopted and will have aged out of foster care. The black males’ fathers will have been absent from the biological home before entering foster care. Males present in the foster care home will be noted. The black males will have mothers who self-identify as black females, and their sons will self-identify as black males. The black males self-identified as being raised fatherless and in a foster home will have a semi-structured interview. The black male participants will receive a questionnaire to be filled out by them before the semi-structured interview. Social media platforms will assist in identifying available participants.
The research will be a qualitative case study (Creswell & Poth, 2024; Muhammad, 2024). The research seeks to know how the experiences of black males raised without their biological fathers affect their communication with their sons. Their qualitative responses reflect an amalgamation of their experiences and the reason for their convictions. Additionally, each individual has a compass of their social reality, which governs unique principles, insights, and non-numerical experiences (Sensing, 2022). Furthermore, the research seeks to understand why there is a difference between their thinking and the thinking of other cohort members (Simmons-Horton, 2020, pp. 583-597). Moreover, how and why these differences result in a continuation of defaulted parenting and incoherent communication (Williams, 2022).
Numbers drive quantitative research and are not a methodology in pursuit of the how and why of the fatherless black males and their communicative relationship with their sons. Quantitative research is, by design, bound to the deductive approach and pure analytics (Creswell & Creswell, 2024). The methodological research foundation is on calculable data. This process aims to find tendencies, recurrences, and relationships to advance the development of hypotheses and theories substantiated by quantifying data. Quantitative research does not evolve through natural, explanatory, or the thoughts and feelings of people. The standard foundation upon which quantitative and qualitative research rely is acquiring new information. Quantitative research’s precise and objective approach starkly contrasts qualitative research’s primary focus on subjective phenomena (Priya, 2020, pp. 94-100).
The qualitative case study design is a versatile and adaptable platform for gathering and organizing tangible data. The design manifests an invaluable alternative to bypass the reliance on numerical data in other research methods (Hancock et al., 2021). Its data collection flexibility and dynamic data assembly methods make it a powerful qualitative case study tool. When we delve into the lives of individuals, their unique experiences and the influence of social dynamics in their environment become significant non-numerical data points highlighted by this process (Hancock et al., 2021). For instance, the impact of the absence of a black father is more pronounced in lower socio-economic demographics (Rambert, 2021, pp. 324-362). This non-numeric insight is crucial and potentially eclipsed by the quantitative method rather than captured.
J. Creswell and Poths (Creswell & Poth, 2024) categorize qualitative inquiry and research design into five approaches: Case Study, Ethnographic Study, Grounded Theory Study, Narrative Study, and Phenomenological Study. A phenomenological study’s core is comprehending a particular phenomenon’s essence. However, in our specific research, the focus is not on understanding or substantiating a distinct phenomenon as the constant in all relationships encountered by fatherless black males who are now fathers. A phenomenological qualitative study orients on these things: intentionality, focused reduction, description, and essence (Bruna, 2022). It is important to note that researchers particularly interested in the phenomenal effect on people are well-suited for the phenomenological study (Hennink et al., 2020). The phenomenological impact can guide researchers in choosing the most appropriate approach for their studies.
The need remains to investigate the experiences of black males raised without their biological fathers in foster care and who now have a son. Researchers are exploring multiple aspects of the fatherless black male raised in foster care but not him as a father and his relationship with his son (Randles, 2019, pp. 7-20; Randles, 2020, pp. 96-112).
An impactful factor on black males who age out of foster care is their fatherlessness (Jones, 2021; Rambert, 2021, pp. 324-362). Fatherlessness disrupts father-and-son relationships, compounded by being in foster care (Harvey, 2021; Rambert, 2021, pp. 324-362). The following research questions guide this qualitative case study:
RQ1. How do black fathers describe their experiences building relationships with their sons?
RQ2. What are some of the challenges in the relationship-building process for black fathers?
RQ3. How do black fathers work through these relationship-building challenges?
American social strata are impacted directly and influenced by the perceptions of black American males about themselves and the world they inhabit (Lynn, 2023, pp. 227-237). As a nation, we are constitutionally committed to ensuring the rights of all individuals to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (Jones, 2021). However, every social and economic stratum within this democratic republic is complicit in the failure to accurately articulate social norms and the means to acquire the skills fundamentally associated with their unique sovereignty within the American civil system. Identification certification as black and male has evolved from definitions imposed by a society with unscrupulous agendas (Fanon, 2020, pp. 326-335; Fanon & Markmann, 2022, pp. 479-487). Forging forward with their unwavering commitment to accountability, The current generation of academics and scholars is forging forward with their unwavering commitment to accountability. The multi-disciplinary coalition is working to dismantle social and economic restraints and combat counterculture adversaries with clearly articulated and transparent solutions. A unified front against the disruptors of a harmonious society offers the best chance of stabilizing family units by repelling criminal activities, re-educating educators on the dynamics of black culture, and addressing inequality with a panacea. It is not just our collective responsibility, but our urgent collective responsibility, to understand and challenge these societal perceptions.
The murky waters of equity and the sweltering waves of confusion submerge unbiased efforts to discover what can be adjudicated rather than transposed as equality (DIOP, 2024, pp. 1606-1610; Mac Donald, 2023). The maturation process of boys into men is an expected and anticipated natural growth, but it does not guarantee the content of their minds or characters (Ransaw et al., 2018). Malcom Shabazz and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. intellectually surmised polar positions on civil rights resolution as correct and non-negotiable (Baldwin, 1992, pp. 468-469). Consequently, peace and violence are received simultaneously and accepted as the way to end second-class citizenship. The precognition of the black citizenry to comprehend and then passionately embrace peace or violence as the resolution was and is, as in this case, dependent on the content of the individual (Archie, 2024; Sundquist & Miller, 2017, pp. 229-234).
The overwhelmed black fatherless father of a son engages with violence, not for equity or equality but as an instinctive survival tactic enhanced with persistent modeling of violence as a regular activity (Jespersen et al., 2021; Starbird & Story, 2020). The content of their character is flawed and disturbing, causing them to exhibit personalities devoid of morality, integrity, honesty, and justice (Black, 2022, pp. 47-76; Finster & Norwalk, 2021).
Equality is an agenda objective pursued by lambasting systemic injustices. However, it is ineffective in this situation because individuals do not warrant equality or equity but education (Metzger et al., 2020, pp. 17-27; O’Connor, 2024). Education cannot be mandated, and they must embrace their inadequacies and voraciously immerse themselves in the opportunity for change rather than adaptation (Cohen, 2023, p. S368; Metzger, 2023, p. S367). They must forgo adaptation because adaptation is a short-term modification, like taking aspirin for a headache but never addressing the cause of the headache.
The pseudo-masculine images form oppressive barriers over their power of comprehension and prohibit the introduction of rational expectations. The causality is an inhibited lived-out expression, which does not correlate with the norms of 21st-century American society (Abrams, 2023, pp. 8-12; Burrell et al., 2021). American society has a dominant culture that dictates regulation and broad-based control that directly affects family structure. Concurrently, the white culture enforces rules that apply to all sub-cultures and ultimately are advantages for its continued existence. (Givens, 2022, pp.16-30; Mack, 2021; Nilsen & Turner, 2021, pp. 1-11).However, American history and world history are replete with unconventional vanguards.
For example, In her historic advocacy for justice, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg preemptively discoursed the dissolution of gender-based profiling that shackled people with indifference to their abilities (Kay, 2022, pp. 13-29). At the same time, iconic individuals like Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, and Stokely Carmichael elevated the discourse of violence, akin to blackness, as a natural and necessary tool to recapture birthrights (Kohoutek, 2022, pp. 238-246). The preoccupation and predisposition for violence are manifest often when black males do not get what they want out of life (McSweeney, 2021, pp. 55-84).
Likewise, black fatherless fathers with sons are highly susceptible to the preoccupation and predisposition for violence (Magnarella, 2020, pp. 54-65). They require voices validating their place within society, not outside of it, as though they were the unwitting host infected with a contagious disease (The Black Panther Party vs. the United States, 1967–19732009). The disease of violence, frequently manifested like automatic weapons without a safety switch, is their albatross (Umoja, 1999, pp. 131-155). They are unable to articulate their need without destructive and disruptive angst. Moreover, now these men have sons with whom they strive to communicate as their sons’ eyes and minds ingest the full spectrum of their father’s behaviors.
Scholars, educators, and other practitioners are not just observers but active participants in the journey to empower historically disenfranchised black males entrenched in compounding crises (Bryan, 2021, pp. 150-167). The pro-active advocate’s challenge of the motivations behind actions or inaction is not just a crucial step but a transformative one. Consistent effort is necessary to dispel notions of mental and physical inferiority, second or third-class citizenship, and fear. This insight is not just a tool but a powerful one that can inspire and motivate change. Moreover, help and change are within our ability to perform. Thankfully, this understanding promises a brighter future, where these notions will no longer be barriers but relics of the past.
African American. People whose ancestry is from Africa but are born in the United States are culturally identified as African Americans. The term is interchangeably used with black, although black infers skin tone, not nationality (Gates. Jr & Curran, 2022; Lewis, 2024; Sabbagh, 2022, pp. 580-588). African Americans point to ethnicity connected to the racial groups indigenous to Africa—black signals racial identification (Campion, 2019, pp. 196-213; Ghee, 1990, pp. 75-93). Traditionally, American history used the term Black American to refer to people of African descent with dark skin. These terms are applied interchangeably, although their meanings are different. African Americans generally denote descendants of Africans enslaved in the United States. Also, based upon Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, blacks not of Hispanic Origin are individuals whose origins are from black racial groups in Africa. Today, the symbiosis between dark skin and African descent is muddled (Mitchell, 2023, pp. 85-100; Tibbs, 2020). This people group may be light-skinned and foster identity with the Caribbean, Australia, and Melanesia (Quillen et al., 2019, pp. 4-26).
Cohort. A cohort consists of individuals who have significant things in common. They live within the same era and society (Cooper et al., 2021, pp. 443-454; Ncayiyane & Nel, 2023, pp. 1431-1452). They have a common background and exposure to the same external elements that affect their way of life and the trajectory of their lifespan.
Fatherlessness. The Oxford Language Dictionary defines fatherlessness as having no father because he is dead or absent from the home (Rambert, 2021, pp. 324–362). Fatherlessness can result from not having a male father figure as a role model. Numerous situations increase the likelihood of fatherlessness for black males, such as divorced parents, negligence, abandonment, rape, incest, and unknown male contributor by the mother.
Foster Care. Foster Care is the state’s interim placement of a child with a caregiver. The state has determined that the child cannot live with their family and will be placed with unrelated foster parents or with relatives (Harlow, 2021, pp. 171–183). Temporary placements are also in shelters, group homes, residential care facilities, and supervised independent living. Foster Care began in the 1800s. Organized child welfare in the United States started as the New York Children’s Aid Society. It was founded in 1853 by Charles Loring Brace (Marsh, 2021, pp. 221–224).
PVEST ( Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory).
PVEST is a theoretical framework that expands upon Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory. PVEST focuses on the individual and their environment (Crawford, 2020, pp. 1–6; Guy-Evans, 2024). Its focus galvanizes around the influence of environmental feedback accessed by the individual and the individual’s inherent self-perceptions, including ecological feedback. The subjective interpretations by the individuals fused with their view of their experiences within a social and cultural context define the meaning of experiences within their environmental context (Cunningham et al., 2023, pp. 524–534). The contributing factors of influence are race, ethnicity, and social class. The PVEST focuses on individual perception, identity development, intersectionality, resilience, and vulnerability.
Fatherless black males raised in foster care and who are fathers of sons display specific behavior that reflects passive-aggressive tendencies, hostilities, codependency traits, quick temperateness, and acting impulsively. These traits mirror psychological patterns, and together they are frequently referred to as ‘gendered traits’ that result from this trauma (Kretz, 2021, pp. 538-539). The absent father’s presence has developmental implications (Carey, 2020, pp. 729-744). The unique communication between father and son must be present rather than imposing this deficiency on the potential development of male headship roles. Instead, for them, the father’s role is an index of imposters (Pettis & Sonnentag, 2023; Thompson, 2022; White et al., 2022, pp. 1318-1328). The content of the communication with the black male son and how the fatherless black male raised in foster care germinates his responses and actions is an objective of this research study (East et al., 2020, pp. 477-487; Rambert, 2021, pp. 324-362; Randles, 2019, pp. 7-20; Tyrus, 2020). Establishing relationships and communication with their biological black sons are minimally investigated (Cross, 2019, pp. 691-712). The scholarly research evidences the positive societal impact of families with biological mothers and fathers in the same home (Cano et al., 2020, pp. 164-184; Dorsey et al., 2022, pp. 1178-1199; Fagan, 2019, pp. 479-487). In comparison, non-residential fathers are more engaged in the hazards of deficient parenting strategies (Cooper et al., 2020, pp. 67-81), drug abuse (Ahuja et al., 2021, pp. 310-319; Yoshioka-Maxwell & Rice, 2020), and housing insecurity (Clemens, 2023; Gibbs et al., 2023). Their life traumas and relationship skills impact stable relationships with their sons.
An impactful factor on black males who age out of foster care is their fatherlessness (Jones, 2021; Rambert, 2021, pp. 324-362). Ongoing research has failed to answer or delve into the following questions: How do black fathers describe their experiences building relationships with their sons? What are some of the challenges in the relationship-building process for black fathers? How do black fathers work through these relationship-building challenges?
The qualitative case study is the design of choice for this study. It will explore the lack of evidence studying the communicative interchange between the fatherless black male raised in foster care and his black son. This study will utilize data collection methods comprised of questionnaires, documents, and semi-structured interviews to support the investigated problem. Data questions included in the data collection process will focus on the black male foster child’s experience and the expression of that experience in his relationship with his black son and his imagination of fatherhood.
The research will commence after the assigned committee approves the dissertation. Once the dissertation committee approves, the researcher will seek approval from the Institutional Review Board, and data collection will begin after the Institutional Review Board approves the research. The study will result in a deeper understanding of the challenges confronting fatherless black males in foster care and the development of strategies to support them and their strategies for communicating with their sons.
Chapter 2: Review of Literature
Therefore, the literature review delves into the perception of a father within the black male’s cultural background. The focused review recognizes the aggregate of individuals, male and female, that promote themselves in a father role in contrast to the observed absent black father. The literature synthesizes the available information relative to substantiating the absent black father syndrome and the validity of the associated stereotype.
The term’ fatherlessness’ in the research is often used synonymously with the ‘absent black father.’ However, it is essential to establish that ‘fatherlessness’ encompasses a range of situations. It can refer to the absent father, who is the biological father but is not in the home, whether he is dead, in jail, divorced, or does not cohabit with the mother (Coates & Phares, 2019, pp. 1681-1694). Fatherlessness can also encompass paternal neglect resulting from illegitimate birth, rape, incest, and denial of the black male as his child. The expanded and enlightening view of fatherlessness and understanding of ‘fatherlessness’ is crucial to comprehending the conflicting challenges faced by black fathers who have aged out of the foster care system (Brisson et al., 2020, pp. 45-57).
The search criteria for this review ensure the authors’ scholarly integrity and the credibility of the published journals, as evaluated by peers. The publication date governs the review of material for consideration. However, this criterion does not apply to seminal work considered relevant and essential to the subject under investigation. The review is a progressive literary treatise—the work endeavors to build upon older material that has established an appropriate foundation. Previous work has provided a platform for advancement, allowing scholars to determine what is disingenuous and inappropriate for advanced studies and offer a comprehensive assessment of the topic today. Older studies may have yet to access rigorous research methodologies in the 21st century. For example, they may not have considered the intersectionality of race and fatherhood, which is crucial to understanding the experiences of black fathers.
Amridge University’s online library resources were accessed using the Educational, Humanities, Religious, and Social Science/Psychology databases. These included ERIC (E.B.S.C.O.), ProQuest Religion, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, and ProQuest Psychology. Google Scholar Boolean search and Open Access were tools used to accomplish the search objectives.
Emotional Impact on Black Males in Early Childhood and Adolescence That Experience Fatherlessness
There are harmful effects for children and adolescents who have experienced various traumas before the age of eighteen. Ajani (2022, pp. 1-11) links these traumas to increased rates of substance abuse, premature sexual activity, escalated levels of depression, and suicidal ideation (Ajani, 2022, pp. 1-11), all of which continue into adulthood. The evaluation of Black/African American children and adolescents (Ajani, 2022, pp. 1-11) presents some positive and negative effects. The positive effects were limited and suggested that intervention was desirable to offset the likelihood of negative growth thwarted by the traumas. Ajani further states that Adverse Childhood Experiences (A.C.E.) is an epidemic, with 1 in 6 children reporting having at least one adverse experience. A.C.E. rates are disproportionately higher for Black/African Americans (Ajani, 2022, pp. 1-11). In conclusion, he reiterates that an essential reason for preventing early adversity is because of the adverse association with subsequent health and life opportunities, especially within the Black/African American community.
For example, the perception of African American fathers raised fatherless impacts their perception of fatherhood with their sons (De Peña, 2019; Hunter, 2019), affecting every spectrum of their lives (Sitney, 2020). The harmful psychological occurrences inhibit the social adjustments necessary to transition from a nominally functioning black male to a nominal functioning black father with a son while adhering to the expectations of society for parenting. The absence of the father is a void filled with toxic pseudo-masculinity. The imposters, un-conceptualized by the black males in their imposed non-traditional under-role of a fatherless black male son, are potentially deficient role models (Hunter, 2019; Tyrus, 2020). The toxic pseudo-masculinity of the black male is a significant contributor to his projected physical ailments that become problematic because of his causative mental health issues.
Emotional Intelligence and Childhood Trauma
Emotional Intelligence is a valuable coping skill for managing childhood trauma (Gao et al., 2024, pp. 1-11); (Xiang et al., 2020, pp. 2460-2469). Managing emotional stressors for black males in early childhood and adolescence is crucial in establishing a foundation for emotional Intelligence extending to adulthood and regulating their interactions positively and productively with others throughout their lives (Wan et al., 2022). Consequently, incorporating the content of these invaluable coping skills allows individuals to recognize, understand, and manage their emotions effectively (Kwan & Kwok, 2021, pp. 2387-2401).
Psychological trauma negatively impacts emotional Intelligence (Gottfredson & Becker, 2023). The plasticity of the evolving brain morphs during its functional development with toxic stressors (Huang et al., 2021, pp. 23-30). These toxic stressors include physical abuse, sexual abuse, hunger, custodial neglect, and illegal substance indoctrination (Sabour et al., 2023, pp. 337-354). However, the template of these stressors is further amplified by childhood separation from biological black fathers, coping with separation from biological black mothers, and culturally disassociated foster homes (Peng et al., 2020, pp. 28-39). Partial fallout contributing to aggravated emotional Intelligence is psychological trauma (Rokita et al., 2020, pp. 1325-1339). The psychological wound is the introduction of the stressor’s overwhelming impact, resulting in acute and predictable changes interrupting the black male’s emotional intelligence capability to cope.
Dysregulated emotional reactivity is determined to be culpable for brain network functionality (Levine, 2024, pp. 8-9). Disruptive functionality is incidental and results in causative brain activities experienced in other brain areas (Cabrera et al., 2020). Childhood traumas are not isolated or quarantined experiences but life-altering interventions that subtly afflict the individual holistically (Vaskinn et al., 2021). Therefore, the incursion of traumas contributes to adaptive brain development (Rapado-Castro et al., 2020, pp, 116-125). The adaptive brain development in black males, as a result of multiple compounding childhood traumas, redefines their emotional Intelligence and modifies the internal regulation of themselves and the perceived actions toward them by others (Cardona-Isaza et al., 2021, pp. 51-60). Their violent reactions are not outliers but actions that they perceive as natural and correct (Belsky et al., 2023, pp. 271-286; Wang et al., 2022, pp. NP22647-NP22672).
Proactivity begins with recognizing that positive teaching and imagery are needed to supplement black males’ development (Türk-Kurtça & Kocatürk, 2020). The absence of black fathers is a melanated visual experience further promulgated by black males’ unregulated placement in foster care. However, before this errant placement, the young child is often in a cultural environment that resembles him but is devoid of age-appropriated experiences at home and in school, infused with exploitive marketed media riddled with sex and money, and superficial father role models who are male and female, and unattached to the child (Lurie et al., 2023).
The extensive umbrella of proactivity encompasses positive teaching to enhance the emotional Intelligence of black youth suffering childhood traumas (Cao & Chen, 2024). Proactivity includes self-care, self-compassion, resolving psychological trauma, and grounding techniques (Sun et al., 2022). A structured environment is essential to manifest proactivity, ideally including a marriage between a man and a woman nurturing their children in the same household submitted to God (Kosarkova et al., 2020).
Unhealed childhood trauma experts expect the injured individual to be able to acknowledge the trauma as a step toward mastering the trauma (Anthony, 2022). Acknowledging the trauma is embedded in the ability to regulate the individual’s emotional Intelligence (Cao & Chen, 2024; Vega et al., 2021, pp. 1173-1183). It is difficult to ascertain the success of the high probability of the experts’ expectations considering the compounded traumas of the black cohort: fatherless, motherless, cultureless, and in foster care.
Emotional Regulation and Childhood Trauma
Emotional Intelligence becomes ineffective without emotional regulation. This is a universal truth for all human beings, as it is the ability to control their emotions, manage their feelings for positive social interaction, and consistently develop self-awareness in the moment. Developing this skill requires the capacity to identify triggers and understand and gauge the intensity of their feelings and the feelings of others so that a healthy and appropriate response occurs. Concurrent with this skill is the individual’s utilization of strategies to modify and adjust their emotional state to overtly adverse and explosive outcomes (Livingstone & Isaacowitz, 2021, pp. 39-51). When this transpires, the individual demonstrates mastery of their emotions instead of being controlled by them. However, ambiguously omitted in accomplishing emotional regulation, this standard is grasped when presented as benchmarks by males categorized as usual in development. However, it is important to note that black males, due to their exposure to dynamic childhood traumas, fatherlessness, motherlessness, foster care, hunger, sexual abuse, institutional prejudice, drug use and victimization, violent crimes, and marginalized assault, face unique challenges that are recognizably distant from the social benchmark that suggests they are capable of emotional regulation (Phan et al., 2020; Tzouvara et al., 2023).
Self-regulation can manage emotions within socially acceptable limits. Self-regulation is a skill that few black males who have experienced fatherlessness and foster care exhibit (Loomis, 2021, pp. 294-306); MacLeod et al., 2023). Their childhood traumas often lead to negative and uncontrolled emotional outbursts, hindering their ability to regulate their emotions (Daly & Wilson, 2022, pp. 253-288). Addressing this issue is apparent as these traumatized individuals struggle to relate and reason using their traumatized brains, a struggle that is often overlooked.
Volatility in situations emerges from a conscious and unconscious state within the individual (Stoute, 2021, pp, 259-290). The coping strategies for emotional regulation thwarted by childhood trauma fail to regulate emotions, moods, and feelings (Silberg & Dallam, 2022, pp. 433-447). The disingenuous framework of their adolescent reality charred with dissociative disorders is unrelatable to emotional regulation (Boyer et al., 2022, pp. 78-84); (Maldonado & Spiegel, 2024, pp. 2267-2312). However, modulating responses is an effective way to regulate the emotional process. Many individuals develop tunnel vision at the point of conflict or when they assess a threat. The involuntary actions triggered by their spontaneous emotional assessment quickly overpower their brains. Immediately, they engage in self-defense without considering the consequences (Singletary, 2020, pp. 17-28).
Research suggests that the involuntary actions of freezing in response to conflict or threat are adaptive responses rooted in evolutionary biology (Baugh & Day, 2020). These responses, influenced by genetic factors, can be altered by childhood trauma (Warmingham et al., 2022, pp. 766-781). This genetic recoding of the brain can distance a fatherless black male, now a father himself, from the general expectations of Emotional Intelligence and emotional regulation, a concerning reality that needs to be addressed (Carter et al., 2021, pp, 1849-1863).
Emotional Abuse and Childhood Trauma
Ubuntu parenting style, deeply rooted in African culture, is a significant and practical approach in the context of managing emotional abuse. Ubuntu’s dual meaning of ng ‘I am because we are ‘or ‘humanity towards others,’ emphasizes the interconnectedness of individuals within a community (Espeleta et al., 2023, pp. 25-33). The interconnectedness of the American black male with his community, whether embedded in his cultural community or foster parents’ culture, is often obfuscated by emotional abuse, also known as psychological abuse (Amin et al., 2023, pp. 104-109 ). Emotional abuse negatively infuses the childhood trauma of black males, especially those whose childhood trauma includes the factors of fatherlessness and involuntary induction into foster care (Lee et al., 2023, pp. 447-462). The influence of the child’s community is a crucial aspect of Ubuntu parenting. However, with this group of black males, it is challenging to measure the positive influence when the immediate circle of the child is overwhelmed with systemic emotional abuse fostered in his divergent socio-economic environments (Lee et al., 2023, pp. 447-462).
Emotional abuse inflames childhood traumas (Kaya et al., 2024). The harmful mental health outcomes for these black males include psychiatric comorbidities, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, schizophrenia, anxiety disorder, substance abuse, or underscore the urgent need to address this issue. In addition to these mental health challenges, black males often face societal expectations of their conformity to the formulated image of men by black fathers and husbands. These expectations can add significant pressure and stress, exacerbating the impact of emotional abuse. As a society, we can no longer delay addressing this critical issue (Ness, 2022, pp. 572-588).
Psychological abuse is disturbingly lost and cloaked as acceptable and non-dangerous actions engaged every day by adults who impugn children (Schlensog-Schuster et al., 2022, pp. 142-154). In foster care, it is the child’s word against an adult when it involves things that have been said or done to them (Cochran, 2023). The mature adult has the advantage of being an adult and is presumed truthful and always caring. In contrast, the profiled black child’s albatross, an enigmatic negative label, is acknowledged as universally applicable to fatherless black male children in his situation. Humiliating, mocking, and verbally assaulting the child is ascribed to a misunderstanding hinged on the untruthful nature of the child and the need for more medical evaluation by specialists because the individual exhibits an undiagnosed mental problem.
Astride this humiliating scenario is the devaluing of the black male child by the dismissal of past traumas influencing the mental state of the black male child. Verbal criticism and racially charged threats are commonplace occurrences endured by vulnerable children in foster care (Ball et al., 2023, pp. 2824-2847). Even though the caustic accosting is not unfamiliar, it is non-aligned with the purpose of removal from his cultural home and introduction to a new and assessed better environment (Amin et al., 2023, pp. 104-109). The maltreatment is inundated with accusations, blaming the child, withholding genuine affection, and diluted or completely absent praise (Adkins et al., 2020).
The unacceptable outcome of emotional or psychological abuse is the long-term effect on the developing child. The areas that are specifically distressed are the black child’s physical, emotional, and social health. However, it is necessary to note that with the implementation of better support systems, children exhibiting emotional abuse will be identified and helped. The expected outcome potentially prevents neglect and physical and sexual abuse (Lee et al., 2023, pp. 447-462; Ness, 2022, pp. 572-588). Addressing corrective actions and the potential of support systems when addressing the black male who now is a father will have long-term ramifications.
The black male children exhibit emotional abuse in their exhibited behavior problems. Accordingly, black male children are recommended to specialists to diagnose their medical condition. The medical specialist often recommends medication to correct the child’s anti-social behavior (Engler et al., 2020, pp. 255-264). Their diagnoses confirm they have succumbed to precarious and audacious behavior. The outcome is partly based on adults’ documents that they steal, bully, run away, and uninhibitedly act indifferently about the consequences of their activities. The diagnosis supports and confirms that the black child’s actions are not socially acceptable actions for a child maturing normally and whose growth has been in the appropriate nurturing environment (Font & Gershoff, 2020, pp. 1-40).
However, impaired emotional development in all children may be an indicator of emotional abuse (Hindt & Leon, 2022, pp. 39-50). Therefore, all adults, including exceptional needs teachers, early education professionals, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, political leaders, and government officials, play a crucial role in recognizing these conditions and taking appropriate actions (Engler et al., 2020, pp. 255-264; Goodall & Sawrikar, 2023; Momtaz et al., 2022). The moral responsibility to future generations demands ensuring all marginalized children are not allowed to suffer without being heard. Therefore, the increased awareness and recognition of these signs are crucial in managing emotional abuse (Dye, 2019, pp. 399-407).
Psychological Impact on Back Males as Adolescents and Teenagers Who Are Fatherless
Fathers playing with their children, especially up until age 4 or 5, positively contribute to children’s social, emotional, and cognitive outcomes (Brown et al., 2023, pp. 214-232; Cabrera, 2019, pp. 134-138). The black father’s involvement has substantial benefits that impact the child in the formative years during the most plastic time of brain development (Amodia-Bidakowska et al., 2020; Diniz et al., 2021, pp. 77-99; IJzendoorn & Bakersmans-Kranenburg, 2024, pp. 137-150). The negative impact of the absent black father leads to a proliferation of behavioral problems (Dagan et al., 2021, pp. 1-11). For the black male, for example, this translates to social incompetence and impaired cognitive development, interrupting standard childhood growth patterns. However, the presence of the black father in these males’ lives enhances childhood growth socially, emotionally, and behaviorally (Fagan, 2019, pp. 139-142; Groh et al., 2012, pp. 591-610).
The spiritual affirmation of fatherhood is deeply ingrained in the cultural community (Martschukat, 2019, pp. 200-223; Robinson, 2021, pp. 820-839), but it often gets overshadowed and diluted by the parenting of single black mothers (Das et al., 2022, pp. 981-998) who are in survival mode (Rambert, 2021, pp. 324-362). Single black mothers and their sons face a myriad of challenges, including the noticeable absence of black men in the Church (Tate, 2023) and the removal of their children primarily for health and welfare reasons: abuse, hunger, lack of utilities, homelessness, or unstable living conditions.
Adolescents and teenagers are especially vulnerable to exhibiting counter-cultural behaviors that have been raised fatherless (Cross, 2021; Tyrus, 2020). The youths, exploited by pseudo-masculinity, a false or exaggerated form of masculinity often portrayed in media and popular culture (Hunter, 2019; Tyrus, 2020), succumb to enhanced sensual gratification through cultural manipulation of their familiar relationships driven by focused manipulative marketing (Walsh, 2024, pp. 156-168). They are victims of their own internalized and externalized behaviors. This incubation process morphs into psychological distress, which affects their learning aptitude and increases black male involvement in criminal activities (Gold et al., 2020, pp. 1587-1605). Behaviors that evolve from psychological distress are Fatherless Son Syndrome, Motherless Son Syndrome, Depleted Father Syndrome, and Abandoned Child Syndrome.
The psychological impact on black males growing up fatherless during adolescence and teenage years is substantial (Choi et al., 2021). Their tenure in white foster care exacerbates the psychological impact (Numa, 2023, pp. 860-868). The cascading childhood traumas are punctuated with their inclination of lowered self-esteem at one end of the psychological spectrum and increased anger issues at the other end. The strong introvert and extrovert tendencies compromise their ability to form healthy relationships. Their engagement with others is frustrated by their identity crisis and nurtures their higher risk of depression. The ominous cloud of abandonment emerges with their frustration caused by a lack of positive male role models and a father to guide them as they develop (Inclan, 2023, pp. 1-11). The early childhood father’s absence is concomitant with severe depression trajectories extending from adolescence through the teenage years and becoming prevalent in early adulthood (Culpin et al., 2022, pp. 150-159).
One of the psychological effects of not having a father is increased emotional problems; the most notable are anxiety and depression. The onslaught of thoughts by the exasperated black fatherless male intensifies these issues. He fashions a world of worthlessness, abandonment, and self-devaluation. The subconscious amalgamation of his reality is deleterious and subjugated to the observed relationship of other children with fathers (Midgley et al., 2021). The psychological therapies, Psychoanalytic psychotherapy and Psychodynamic psychotherapy, when employed for these troubled black males, enable a perspective from which they can manage anxiety, depression, and addictions (Lemma, 2025; McPherson, 2024; Read, 2022).
Another behavior problem manifested is an intimidating persona (Di Giuseppe et al., 2021). The persona disguises their underlying fears, resentments, anxieties, and unhappiness. The intimidating public image observed by medical professionals from the black fatherless child results in a diagnosis of him having Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). ODD is the most common comorbidity with ADHD. These individuals are easily annoyed, become angry and resentful, exhibit hostility toward authority, and have explosive temper tantrums (Ascencio, 2024). Hence, the child requires prescription medication to regulate their participation in his environment undestructively.
Fatherless Son Syndrome is not a recognized medical diagnosis. It is a term that describes common challenges children face in fatherless homes (Glasofer et al., 2023, pp. 847-858). The ongoing research suggests that the father’s absence radically impacts the child’s development (Gogineni & Eberwein, 2024, pp. 257-279). However, Fatherless Son Syndrome does not have a standardized diagnosis. A multidisciplinary approach will create a more comprehensive understanding and more congruent solutions. Consequently, since there is no universality to be followed by healthcare professionals, diagnoses and interpretations are subjective (Faber et al., 2023). A grey area emerges where black males, wards or former wards of foster care, are indiscriminately diagnosed and treated with medication (Cole, 2023).
The grieved child is removed from his natural environment and suffers additionally from Motherless Son Syndrome (Abramovitz, 2022, pp. 20-39). The motherless son is unlikely to receive empathy for the disassociation wrought by his internment in foster care (Murray et al., 2023, pp. 742-758). Foster care parents may lack sensitivity for the child’s separation from his mother and blatantly disregard it as symptomatic of any antisocial actions observed occurring by the black male child (Day et al., 2022, pp. 517-542). The medical profession’s consensus is that a mother’s absence has persistent adverse effects on the child’s development, reflecting a less healthy mental status and inducing diminished participation in classroom activity (Connelly et al., 2024, pp. 1-30). His stagnated activity also occurs in the social atmosphere of the foster home. It is at the intersection of his regular activity and the expectation of others that medical diagnosis goes awry, involving professional subjectivity for treatment and the beginning of a lifetime label (Connelly et al., 2024, pp. 1-30).
Mother substitutes are discouraged by their inability to swiftly induce a bond with the black male child that simulates their innate mother-child bond (Edwards et al., 2022, pp. 1219-1239). Likewise, they are equally discouraged when the black male child fails to transform into their preconceived idealized child within their social framework (Schmidt et al., 2022, pp. 57-77). The fatherless child navigates adolescence and the teenage years minus the socialization and security provided by his biological father and trends toward antisocial behavior. The motherless child navigates adolescence and enters the adolescent years minus the maternal nurturing of their biological mother and emerges with difficulty in forming close interpersonal relationships.
Ultimately, the often-overlooked Motherless Son Syndrome compounds the Fatherless Son Syndrome upon entering foster care (Minnotte, 2023). The black male child is stymied, misunderstood, and misdiagnosed. He is subject to the new voices that imbue parental rights and directives. Still, the encoding in his mind does not translate it instantaneously as acceptable directives per the desires of the foster caregivers, their cultural environment, and the foster care system.
The negative implications of stress experienced by adolescent black males require normalizing conversations and not victimizing the traumatized child. The victimization is a stick of dynamite on a short fuse. Salient solutions must address the broken bond with the mother from the child’s perspective. Disavowing the innate mother-child bond is a keg of gunpowder with a lit fuse about to explode (Ells, 2023). The ruminating black male child may be accessing thoughts of worthlessness and inadequacy symptomatic of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)(Engler et al., 2020, pp. 255-264; Wilson & Thayer, 2020). Furthermore, the faint whisper of “I want mommy” must not fall upon deaf ears like autumn leaves falling to the ground.
Depleted Father Syndrome
The Depleted Father Syndrome (DFS) is a narrative where the fatherless black male is first the victim and then the perpetrator because he has a son (Schaufeli & Enzmann, 2020, pp. 1-17; (Çakmak & Arikan, 2024, pp. 185-202). His characterization is the lack of emotional availability, which inhibits quality interaction. Let us examine DFS from the victim’s perspective.
The fatherless black male is traumatized because he feels abandoned by the father and secondarily because of the loss of his mother when forcibly and unwillingly inducted into foster care (Cancian, 2022, pp. 65-78). The child’s biological father may have been physically present but unengaged in interacting with the child. The traumatization that manifests as abandonment is also likely when implanted in a foster home and an unfamiliar culture. The black child’s Cultural competence in foster care is marginalized and subjugated to the established cultural hegemony (Martini & Arra, 2023, pp. 175-180).
One of the psychological traumas experienced by the fatherless black male is abandonment. The direct and undesirable outcome of the manifestation of his abandonment fatigue culminates in anxiety and depression (Piraino et al., 2024). Distasteful anxiety and depression are antecedents to developing salubrious relationships. White and black Foster parents’ expectations and skill training obfuscate this reactionary interaction, and they deduce they have a problematic, anti-establishment black male child.
Today, that child has become a father. His reactionary path is two-prong and, on occasion, may be intertwined. On the first path, he attempts to be a dutiful father without an operational viewpoint (Roskam et al., 2021, pp. 430-455). His childhood path does not have a model or template to build upon or a person to emulate in his efforts to father. The inconsistent iconography of black versus white is psychologically and emotionally debilitating. His situation is analogous to father burnout, overwhelming exhaustion, feeling emotionally distanced from his child, and a sense of ineffectiveness in parenting (Kalkan et al., 2022, pp. 22278-22289). Interfaced with thinking is a swelling increase in suicidal thoughts, a predisposition to addictive behaviors, and an onslaught of sleep disorders. The presumed failed parenting effort causes him to feel emotionally and physically exhausted (Lin & Szczygieł, 2022, pp. 498-504). He succumbs to chronic fatigue and is exceptionally irritable. The stress has enveloped the black youth, and success is not propitious. Contemptuously, he thunderously exhales his inability to cope with the dynamic situation and disgracefully dispatches his black male son as he reenters his sanctuary of reclusiveness. (Piotrowski et al., 2023).
However, on the second path, his intimate interaction with his son is emotionless, distant, and uncaring (Brianda et al., 2020, pp. 330-332). The father relegates his black child to something that has to be dealt with if and when he has time. The black male child is an inconvenience; he is inconsequential, he is unworthy of his attention, and he is his mother’s problem to fix. Adult black males have not transferred a sense of duty or responsibility to the male child (Roskam et al., 2021, pp. 430-455). He has no sense of his life deviating from the proper order.
Abandoned Child Syndrome
The abandoned child syndrome compounds the perpetuation of traumas (Lebow, 2021). The adolescent black male and the adult black male are psychologically fractured. The brokenness is partially the result of losing their biological parents. Sexual abuse, for example, is symptomatic of the abandoned child syndrome. Sexual abuse is another harmful activity that transcends generations and is seemingly impervious to rectification. The adult and child are simultaneously the victim and perpetrator (Debnath et al., 2023). The anti-social, impulsive actions stoke the deregulation of relationships and reframe their concept of right and wrong (Zeytinoglu et al., 2022).
As a child experiencing Fatherless and Motherless Son Syndrome merged with Depleted Father Syndrome, the onslaught of the Abandoned Child Syndrome is unavoidable. This isolated trauma can lead to multiple emotional challenges consistently diagnosed in children as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (Chodura et al., 2021, pp. 326-347). Accordingly, Abandoned Child Syndrome is observable as having five distinct stages: shattering, withdrawal, internalizing, rage, and lifting (S.W.I.R.L.). Each stage represents a different aspect of the child’s psychological journey, from the initial shock to the eventual acceptance and healing (et al., 2021). The compounding effect is an additional burden on foster parents whose expectations of these black male children are an adaption to the foster parents’ cultural hegemony rather than acculturation. ‘Cultural hegemony’ refers to imposing dominance of one culture over others, often marginalizing minority cultures. Perhaps because this process requires assimilation, separation, integration, and marginalization, the black male has already been profiled as incompetent.
Foster parents must consistently promote a home incorporating cultural fundamentals and the individual’s assessed basic needs as part of a family unit (Van Bergen et al., 2022, pp. 811-822). Therefore, foster parents, caregivers, medical professionals, and the foster care system unwittingly deprive the child of their ‘Indigenous right of emergence’ in their biological culture. This term refers to the inherent right of a child to be raised in their own cultural context, which is often overlooked in the foster care system. Consequently, the foster parents’ and caregivers’ cultural hegemony does not advocate for the black male child’s biological cultural ethos (Van Bergen et al., 2022, pp. 811-822). Marginalizing the cultural ethos of the black male child is the reason for the urgent and necessary need for cultural sensitivity in foster care. Elevating cultural sensitivity is not just a suggestion but a call to action. Consequently, a sense of abandonment, of being isolated and alone, surfaces and integrates with the other factors and swelters into behaviors that prompt misdiagnosis and an erroneously medicated child.
The obscured line between intentional and unintentional childhood abandonment results from legalistic positioning that favors actions to intervene in the family structure of black children, especially those on the lower socioeconomic strata (Braunold, 2023, pp. e148-152; Parekh et al., 2023, pp. 51-72). The daily grind of the black male children on the lower socioeconomic strata is course and unrelenting. However, their resilience is symbolic of their cultural tenacity to survive. Despite the challenges, they sharpen survival skills and coping mechanisms in a way that vastly differs from those male children isolated from their normalcy. The abandoned child syndrome amplifies when extracted from a familiar culture and inserted blindly into another that greets him with unfamiliar expectations. This resilience is a testament to the strength of these children and should inspire us to do better in supporting them.
Emotional neglect is again experienced when the black child is resistant to the new cultural hegemony and subsequently dispatched from one foster home to another (Almas et al., 2018, pp. 96-109). Attachment to caregivers is an indispensable part of a child’s development, with the disruption possibly leading to Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) (Campbell, 2021, pp. 79-84; Ellis et al., 2023; Williams, 2022). However, primarily, his assessed failure to assimilate is defined as ADHD and ODD by foster parents and medical professionals. This misdiagnosis issue is a cause for concern, as it can lead to further harm. The black male, confused over what is right and wrong, forages through the verbal pictures of his encouraged social intercourse with bewilderment and confusion (Bruce et al., 2018, pp. 152-169). The effects of childhood abandonment persist as the individual matures, and also the harmful consequences continue unabated. Medical professionals continue to assess the extent of emotional neglect and its impact on the developing brain. This research can be optimized to provide better support and care for these children.
Sociological Impact on Black Male Teenagers and Young Black Male Adults who are Fatherless and experienced Foster Care
The sociological impact on black male teenagers and young black male adults is the combined negative consequences of fatherlessness, being black and male, and foster care (Fagan, 2019, pp. 139-142). These black males’ family environment is inconsistent with the Christian biblical family structure. They are without a father teaching from a black male biblical perspective and physically present for the youth to model and mirror. Their fatherless lifestyle is a sub-culture within the African American culture (Tate, 2023). They are aware of households with fathers but are being forged into a young black male by the governance of their single black mothers and subsequently foster care (Hunter, 2019). The black male’s struggle with his ethnic identity is exacerbated by foster care as he navigates the stages of growth between birth and a young black adult male. They struggle with inclusion or exclusion because of their sexual orientation (Paul, 2020), language, clothing, religious practices (Crooms, 2021), and diet. They initially encounter stigmatization because of being black and male, then disassociation with their biological father, and finally identification as foster children (Johnson et al., 2020).
Black males in foster care suffer from the disruption of their ethnicity (Mihalec-Adkins et al., 2020) in an environment that rarely respects their cultural practices, values, beliefs, religion, and traditions (Tyrell et al., 2019, pp. 88-99). Foster care placements are based on the availability of a host home in the foster care system and not on that home’s ethnicity or religious faith. (Goldberg & Hasenbush, 2020; Sidoruk, 2021, pp. 142-156). Before entering foster care, black male teens are deeply rooted in their unique African American culture and exhibit significant resistance to conforming to a new culture. Their non-conformity and defiance are channeled to professional counselors in psychology, psychiatry, and sociology to evaluate and aid in the character modification that will help black males in foster care conform to societal norms presumably present in their foster homes (Kothari et al., 2020).
The black male foster child’s perspective of his role in society and relationships with family members is hampered by the disjointed connection with the traditional church in black communities (Swafford et al., 2023, pp. 458-476). Their encounter with religion is problematic because fewer adult black males are participants in regular church attendance. Foster homes are not required to include their culturally based religious practices while they are in their homes (Hindt & Leon, 2022, pp. 39-50). Coinciding with the deficient black male attendance in church is the leadership of congregations by black females (Young, 2023, pp. 108-125), which mirrors and compounds the lack of black male leadership in the home. Additionally, sexual minority foster home placements, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer, and intersex (L.G.B.T.Q.Q.I.) (Sidoruk, 2021, pp. 142-156), influence gender orientation (Farr & Vázquez, 2020, pp. 164-175; Goldberg & Hasenbush, 2020).
Impact of Situational and Experiential Lost on Black Males in Foster Care
The psychosocial development of black males who are fatherless and have the additional dynamic experience of foster care exhibit changes in their overt behavior and their social cognition (Thompson, 2021, pp. 55-59). Their personality and social skills are associated with encountered points of reference that either disrupt, dismiss, or redirect their historical psychosocial development, determined to be fundamentally deficient in a positive social foundation (Cherry, 2024; McLeod, 2024).
Experiential loss furthers aggravation of the dynamics of a new nuclear family (Johnson et al., 2020). Before entering foster care, the black male benefits from limited restrictions in his male role. Foster care requires adjustment to the surrogate family’s established order, rules, expectations, and demands (Thomas et al., 2020, pp. 958-977). The black foster male child’s historical autonomy is no longer unchecked. Foster care for the black male youth augments the stigma of fatherlessness. Fatherlessness is joined with unanticipated motherlessness as the black male enters foster care (Barth et al., 2020, pp. 477-499). The motherless trauma is an unexpected tragic loss for the black male who now feels abandoned.
Motherlessness becomes an invisible source of fuel for the feelings of abandonment and concomitant irreparable loss. The foster child’s unbridled emotion of sadness translates to isolation and thwarts development through adulthood. The experiential and situational losses are uniquely different for fatherless black males who are subsequently divorced from their single mothers (Roberts, 2022).
The ideology of relations, forged in the caustic process of growth within the foster care system, is where the black male is identified first as fatherless and second as motherless (Bennett, 2021, pp. 1-25). The unharnessed black males shuffle through multiple households, and the brain’s synapses collect and store the situational losses repeatedly, making them less alarming (Edwards et al., 2022, pp. 1219-1239).
Evanescent Fatherhood: Preservation-Establishing a Household
The Kairos moment to establish a family is a complex journey for all men. Black fatherless males must incorporate disjointed representations of a family while distilling the challenging situation to reach a comprehensive solution. He must decipher the cryptic image of a father and identify his role in establishing his unique household (Abraham & Feldman, 2022, pp. 93-109). Or will the overwhelming impression of a non-custodial vanished father reign in his objectivity? When he is at the prime opportunity, traditional conditions and variables are present for him and other males outside his cohort. Can he effectively execute this significant life event (Truman, 2024)? Studies suggest the challenge of establishing a family is daunting for all males. Therefore, a two-parent home consisting of a male father and a female mother, often foreign to these black males, warrants further exploration because of its potential influence. This model not only encourages the biblical standard affirmed by Jesus in Matthew 19:5–6 and echoes God’s standard in Genesis of one man and one woman in a monogamous relationship but also upholds the societal norms that have been passed down through generations (Vil et al., 2020, pp. 109-124).
Evanescent Fatherhood: Continuation-Nourishing
The father’s actions are synchronous within a cohort and result in a sinusoidal pattern of involuntary actions (English Standard Version Bible, 2015, Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4). The new fathers’ first observations of expectancy are fused with the modeling provided by their fathers (Connor & Stolz, 2021, pp. 831-851). Conversations between fathers and sons explain the father’s relationship with his wife, mother, and children (Rumjaun & Narod, 2020, pp. 85-99). The responsibilities and roles of each parent are cataloged, and now the son judiciously applies his understanding of his life before manhood and fatherhood (Kalil & Ryan, 2020, pp. 29-54) whether right or wrong, systematic dos and don’ts are transferred (Connor & Stolz, 2021, pp. 831-851).
However, fatherless black males who become fathers are legitimately operating with a template overtly absent of established criteria for father-son relationships (Cherry & Gerstein, 2021, pp. 149-163). Moreover, the corrupted relationship with the primary female in their life, the mother, hazards the relationship between fathers and sons (Chainey & Burke, 2021, pp. 217-232). However, both father groups stand at the crossroads of their new beginnings. For each of them, the door to constructive dialogue is fundamental in continuing and nourishing a new family (Kapetanovic et al., 2020, pp. 1225-1244). Subsequently, the door to constructive dialogue is hinged securely and operably, yet the fatherless black male unknowingly rejects the usage.
Evanescent Fatherhood: Engendering-Protecting
The adult male of the Homo Sapiens species is physically superior and more robust than the adult female (Nuzzo, 2022, pp. 494-536). In most societies, secular and non-secular records historically identify these characteristics as favorable and necessary for protecting females and children. Their physicality, a significant factor, often determined whether another dominated their group. Men perpetuated the art of war, and some societies evolved and revolved around violence (Gray et al., 2023, pp. 69-83). For example, Sparta of ancient Greece, led by King Leonidas I, was a warrior state, and the fulcrum of manhood revolved around the perfection of savagery for survival and social status (Giles, 2023; Gray et al., 2023, pp. 69-83).
The yin and yang of savagery for survival and social status have survived and continue to perpetuate as though the males were in the warring state of Sparta (Bayliss, 2022, pp. 59-76; Hodkinson, 2020, pp. 335-361). Fatherless black males, from birth, are deeply indoctrinated into a society where the sparring pugilists are often immediate family members (Bavolek, 2021, pp. 97-110). Fatherless black males struggle with a view of a family structure that aligns with historical American families and the biblical basis for parenting because of the profoundly ingrained indoctrination that shapes their daily lives (Bavolek, 2021, pp. 97-110). In contrast, other groups of men, although not sheltered from violence, were further distanced from the dominance of the sparring pugilist force in male and female relationships, father and children’s relationships, and father and mother relationships (Bonvillain, 2020). Their segway to parenthood, especially fatherhood, was not inhibited by disassociation with biological parents but delicately massaged to encourage duplication of themselves (Darling et al., 2022). Fatherless black males have succumbed to the invisible message to perpetuate forced agendas and sustain their survival at the expense of everything else (Copeland, 2020).
Evanescent Fatherhood: Creating a Household-Maintenance
Fatherhood is a social label and a sacred vocation that generally supposes a male has partnered with a female in matrimony, and their sexual union has resulted in a child (Eberly, 1999; Peterson, 2021). However, today, fatherhood is proclaimed as a label encompassing a complex variation of what and who a father is (D’Amore et al., 2023, pp. 1001-1024; Freeks, 2020, pp. 1-13; Neresheimer & Daum, 2020, pp. 102-117; Petts, 2022, pp. 26-51; Volling & Palkovitz, 2021, pp. 427-432). Moreover, like marriage, there is no one-size-fits-all manual of instruction on the aspect of fatherhood that involves the creation and welfare responsibility of the male to that family. Many young black males have only considered their hormonal responses, which are completely isolated from the labels of marriage, husband and wife, and children(Barrie, 2023, pp. 65-81; Donnelly et al., 2022, pp. 787-795). For some, this is consistent with the landscape of their lifespan, which populates with sexual vices: bestiality, homosexuality, lesbianism, fornication, adultery, pedophilia, and licentiousness. Likewise, they develop affection for the hormonal responses that result in sexual placation, a term used here to describe the temporary satisfaction or relief from sexual urges, which is concomitant with sexual identity explorations and self-molestation (Astle & Brasileiro, 2023, pp. 759-773; Reynolds, 2024).
The unique challenges faced by fatherless black males in their journey to fatherhood are not just personal struggles but societal challenges that demand our collective attention and action. Their experiences concomitantly shape their individual lives while influencing our multicultural and ethnic society. Despite their potential to father children, their minds often lack a nuclear family history where roles were clearly defined and lived out before them (Gettler et al., 2020, pp. 137-152; Lappegård et al., 2011, pp. 103-120). They find themselves at the fatherhood crossroads in life, equipped with a tool chest that does not resemble the one society expects them to have.
They have survived paternal abandonment only to arrive at another crossroads that is equally impactful on their black sons. Their predisposition to abandonment radically increases the likelihood that they will repeat the cycle. Also, as a result of their maladaptive social skills, the injurious potential to their sons via physical, emotional, and psychological abuse is heightened. Their situation is a personal struggle and a societal challenge that demands our collective attention and action.
The expectancy, however, is that all men will traverse a similar path, creating households drawn from the repetitive experiences modeled for them (Gettler, 2020, pp. 137-152; Locke & Latham, 1984); (Lee, 2023, pp.114-137). Meanwhile, the toolbox for the fatherless black male, and many with a foster care history, is laden with chaos, trauma, loss, humiliation, violence, gangs, sexual and physical abuse, hunger, homelessness, and no instructions on how to be a father by their father(Thomas, 2024; Harty & Banman, 2022, pp. 185-205). These elements represent the harsh realities and negative experiences that often characterize the upbringing of fatherless black males.
Many of these black males, who have endured years of volatility in the foster care system, have a complex and dubious understanding of fatherhood and family dynamics (Dubois-Comtois et al., 2021, pp. 1-11; Mokhutso, 2021; Samadi, 2022). These black males’ journey to fatherhood is more than a personal struggle. The journey is an extensive societal challenge embedded in society that demands our immediate attention (Shambare, 2022, pp. 13-30). The urgency requires recognizing and realizing the need for support and resources to aid these individuals on their journey to fatherhood (Kohl et al., 2022, pp. 1097-1115; Sarfo & Wallace, 2021, pp. 29-43).
The rapid response of society to the needs of the black fatherless male is of utmost importance. It underscores the needed support and removes the appearance of indifference, fostering the communal efforts of Ubuntu parenting and natural mentoring. The rapid response is not just a matter of choice but a societal responsibility we must all take seriously and act upon hastily. The urgency of this need is time-sensitive, as it is crucial for the well-being of these individuals and the society of which we all are a part. Our collective efforts are vital in this regard.
Lastly, we expect to observe a continuum of phenomena exhibited by the coming-of-age males transitioning from singleness to marriage and fatherhood (Gettler, 2020, pp. 137-152; Lévesque et al., 2020, pp. 1938-1956). The internalized modus operandi indicates they have a significantly increased chance of success at marriage and fatherhood or, in the absence of it, a significantly increased chance of failure in both theaters (Gettler et al., 2020, pp. 141-160). Napolean Hill, Dr. Gary Latham, and Dr. Edwin A. Locke offer insight into the internalized modus operandi phenomenon (Hill, 2022). Dr. Latham and Dr. Locke’s research focused on setting goals (Cervone, 2020, pp. 57-96; Locke & Latham, 2006, pp. 265-268). A synthesis of their work established a connection between personal values like healthy self-esteem, established competence and confidence, and general self-confidence, which distends into overall confidence in self and unique abilities, and autonomy, anchored in self-sufficiency and self-government and influenced by objective morality (Bates et al., 2023).
However, fatherless black males, in conjunction with becoming fathers, rarely have a positive mental attitude; many have clinical evaluations of mental health issues and have not developed dynamic lifelong relationships (Dubois-Comtois et al., 2021, pp. 1-11). Their lives have been a succession of angst and anxiety (Jiang et al., 2021). Their perception of themselves and hope for a future dissipated, overwhelmed by unrelenting disappointments (Çakmak Tolan, 2023, pp. 424-441 ). Only the venom from their volatile relationships, a metaphor for the emotional and psychological scars from their tumultuous relationships, remains for them to share with others (Natali, 2023, pp. 561-580; Suchika, 2024). Their fears perpetuate distrust and narrow their acceptance of divergent ideas (Siotia, 2024). They have learned to engage in activities that bring them the most satisfaction today because tomorrow may be something else. They have learned to trust no one and nothing (Davis & Friedman, 2021, pp. 750-767). The subconscious acceptance of this precept results in them being mentally conditioned and submitted to their primal existence and instinct of survival.
Men and fathers should have an outlook on life that includes their primal existence inclination and intuitiveness infused with their survival instinct, numbered among the positive pillars that establish the foundation of their lives (Tate et al., 2022, pp. 525-544). This outlook is advantageous because it will enhance the potential for a wholesome, moral, and respectable life. They should not have the drama that cascades into the existence of many black fatherless males who become fathers and daily skirt the shadows of disgrace with a life distilled within that which is abhorrent to society (Gill et al., 2023, pp. 273-301). Unapologetically, society expects them to communicate effectively and relationally with their sons, and it is our collective responsibility to facilitate equipping these men to meet this expectation. Equipping them is a responsibility we must embrace heartily.
Building Relationships
One of the crucial relationships for the black male who transitioned out of foster care is the relationship with his children, especially with his son. Positive father-son relationships are considered a pillar of most family-structured societies. Traumas, especially those which are experiential, negatively affect the development of these relationships (Hicks et al., 2020, pp. 115-122). They have encountered episodic childhood abuse encompassing sexual assault upon themselves or other people in their presence, physical violence witnessed through domestic abuse upon themselves, a sibling, or their mother, coercion, and manipulation into sexual acts, all occurring with the backdrop of shootings and stabbings as normal activities, and eventually the development of internal demoralization resulting in self-hate and abandonment. These experiential traumas are rooted in fatherlessness, exposing an unauthentic template, a model or example that is not genuine or true to the traditional father figure, forged by mothers, foster caregivers, and individuals who exhibit traits commonly associated with masculinity but do not adhere to traditional masculine norms, leaving the pubescent imagination to conjure a ghost father (Davis, 2023).
Therefore, each struggling father requires a care plan with the necessary support and understanding. The strategic support will aid these individuals as they develop healthy father-son relationships. Nevertheless, haranguing fatherlessness is not a deterrent to male-female sexual relationships, which can precipitate pregnancies. However, procreation does not translate into knowledge and skill at parenting or fathering, regardless of the tool kit carried at the crossroads of fatherhood. The existence of a father-son relationship is often an overwhelming new paradigm for black males who are fatherless and have experienced foster care. Fathers, equipped with a faulty model to emulate a father-son relationship, often struggle to communicate positively and relate their worldviews effectively to others without imposing violence capriciously. (Gaines, 2023, pp. 89-120).
Fathering is a relationship with a daughter or a son and involves altruistic caring for them (Adamsons et al., 2022, pp. 1-27). Fathering, from a biblical perspective, suggests marriage and a female wife. The teen and young adult black males from foster care are not favorable candidates for marriage but are capable of procreation (Harris et al., 2018; Phoenix, 2023, pp. 259-277). For these black youths, there is a disconnect between procreation and parenting (Donnelly et al., 2022, pp. 787-795; Pinder, 2022). Nevertheless, when the black male foster child has a son, the intense phenomena of interpersonal relationship building are tested. (Jones, 2021). Curiosity looms over how the father-son relationship develops in light of the new father having lived his life fatherless (Lévesque et al., 2020, pp. 1938-1956).
Theistic Intimation
Intentional fatherhood is a concept that aligns with God’s mandate for a family. Intentional fatherhood is the antithesis of intentional fatherlessness. According to God’s design, fathers are to raise their children, be active in their lives, and guide them in understanding God’s plan (Freeks et al., 2022, pp. 1-9). Intentional fatherlessness is the deliberate absence of a father figure in a child’s life. The deliberate absence of the father disrupts the child’s normal development (IJzendoorn & Bakersmans-Kranenburg, 2024, pp. 137-150). The disruption affects all relationships to varying degrees for that person’s lifetime. For instance, fathers can fulfill their role by regularly reading and discussing scripture with their sons or modeling God’s love and forgiveness in their interactions (Isacco & Delaney, 2022, pp. 337-350). This action recognizes the crucial role of fathers in shaping their children’s lives and empowering them with the responsibility to guide their children’s development through intentional fatherhood.
Scripture illuminates the father-son relationship as a call for the human father to be a tangible, guiding presence in his son’s life (Donald, 2021). Fathers actively present in their sons’ lives, both in belief and practice, earn their sons’ admiration (Cross, 2021). Their experiences answer many questions and offer essential solutions for their male offspring’s guidance. The absence of this foundation, as seen in fatherless black males entering fatherhood, leaves crucial life puzzle pieces missing. A sense of identity, a model for healthy relationships, and a source of emotional support are essential in alleviating the static in father-son communication. Most men will be devoid of the necessary tools for conflict resolution (Freeks et al., 2022, pp. 1-9). However, the positive impact of intentional fatherhood on the father-son relationship is indispensable. Intentional fatherhood is a beacon of hope for a better future through improved relationships. Despite the challenges, positive relationships formulate as they, father and son, overcome challenges, inspiring and motivating everyone to strive for better outcomes.
Conversely, when the black male foster child has a son, society unabashedly expects their relationship to mimic the expected norm and development to assimilate into society, as anticipated by other fathers (Diniz et al., 2023, pp. 77-99). However, society must understand and empathize with the challenges these fathers face. Especially the automatic grasping of responsibility, which covers his role as a father. The role of a father includes being skilled at engaging the son, educating and edifying him, reassuring and inspiring him, and providing for and preparing him with an essential basis upon which to build his life (Schoppe‐Sullivan & Fagan, 2020, pp. 175-197). This scenario and expectation underscore the importance of positive father figures in the lives of Indigenous black foster male children. Positive black father figures are enablers who improve the potential of black males to overcome the daily challenge to conforming to society’s expectations based on a perspective with which they are unfamiliar. Society’s understanding and empathy towards these challenges are crucial for establishing a supportive environment for these children and their trust.
Practical Consequences
Through theistic intimation, fathers establish themselves as a bastion of knowledge in various fields, including anthropology, psychology, sociology, and theology (Strier & Perez‐Vaisvidovsky, 2021, pp. 334-346). Their platform of expertise is the summation of age-related responses and in-depth conversations, highlighting their significant and admirable role in the development of their children (Ashton et al., 2023, pp. 2995-3008; Slaughter & Nagoshi, 2020, pp. 547-556). The efforts of these fathers not only perpetuate their distinctive genetic line but also transmit a sense of purposeful living, underscoring the crucial and deeply respected role fathers play in the development of their children (Johnson et al., 2020). Additionally, this surfaces the urgent need for a more comprehensive understanding and empathetic support for fatherless black males who face unique challenges in their development. The need for research into these challenges is critical and urgent, as it can significantly impact our understanding of fatherhood and child development associated with longitudinal communication development.
While the norm is for male fathers to resemble and imitate the societal template of a father, a term that refers to the culturally constructed expectations and roles of a father, the fatherless black male and son develop a unique set of practical life skills that are askew from the norm (Deneault et al., 2021, pp. 43-66; Tyrell & Masten, 2021, pp. 274-286). Their processed theoretical knowledge and theistic intimation support the significance of father modeling and the profound influence of societal templates on male development. The unique development, which is the primary focus of this text, is shaped partially by societal norms. It isolates and identifies the urgent and compelling need for immediate and extensive research into fatherless black males’ unique challenges and development (Lozada et al., 2021, pp. 13-33).
The need for this research is not just essential but urgent, as it can provide crucial insights into the unique holistic challenge of a foundationless father template. The ‘disfigured template’ refers to the distorted or incomplete understanding of fatherhood that results from the absence of a traditional father figure. This thwarts communication channels with their sons, where the mode of communication must be more precise in this relational exchange. Faulty visage of roles and responsibilities produces a family structure that is fracturing and fashioned in ways dissimilar to biblical testimonials and 19th and 20th-century American models, regardless of ethnicity. Rejection of the fatherless father’s input into his son’s life faces radical defiance and exclamations about the father’s fruitless example of being a father. “Do not Tell Me What to Do!” is a familiar quip most fathers hear when conflicting with their sons. It is a defiant and authoritative challenge also issued by many of the sons of black males who have been fatherless and transitioned through foster care.
Mental Health
The urgent need to address the mental impairment that induces skepticism in fatherless black males is a complex issue requiring immediate and comprehensive evaluation (Nunes et al., 2022, pp. 400-407; Villagrana, 2021, pp. 597-606). Their impairment, whether psychosomatic, psychological, or biological, leads to deviations from standard functioning health patterns. According to Marjorie Gordon, PhD, RN, FAAN, nursing theorist, and professor, her eleven-point functional health patterns (Gordon, 2014) include values and beliefs, sexuality, relationship patterns, and self-perception (see Appendix A) summarized in thinking, talking, and sharing (Martel, 2021, pp. 3-42; Park et al., 2023, pp. 971-995). These deviations significantly impact their mental health, emotions, and psychological and social well-being.
Likewise, bipolar, anxiety, personality, and psychotic disorders are among other deviations most likely to be diagnosed in this sub-set of fatherless black males who also experience foster care (Dubois-Comtois et al., 2021, pp. 1-11; Winiarski et al., 2021, pp. 317-324). These challenges are like hidden landmines in the relationship building with their sons. The impact of co-occurring symptoms accompanying the diagnosis of oppositional defiant disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, reactive attachment disorder, and conduct disorder is impossible to exaggerate (Assini-Meytin et al., 2021, pp. 833-845). Moreover, the individuals are selectively diagnosed with over-medication, a practice that can exacerbate their conditions and lead to adverse long-term effects (Cerdeña et al., 2020, pp. 1125-1128; O’Brien et al., 2020; Wright et al., 2022). The exacerbation functionally handicaps the black male who has aged out of foster care and is now navigating the complexities of fatherhood (Winiarski et al., 2021, pp. 317-324).
It is critical for healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers, and advocates for mental health and social welfare to recognize their vital role in advocating for improved healthcare support for fatherless black males. Professional involvement is significant and integral to ensuring the well-being of black males, the success of the next generation, and their positive integration into society, offering hope for a brighter future. However, how can better communication across generations be ensured?
Academics
Academics and mental health, two interrelated factors, are in a state of urgent crisis that demands immediate and critical intervention to guide the ID and redefine the Superego of distressed black males (Elliott, 2020, pp. 140-160; Freud, 2024; Freud & Strachey, 2024; Hartmann, 2020, pp. 3-37). The lack of applied academics and mental health education is a pressing issue for black fatherless males, a group of young men who are growing up without the guidance of their biological fathers (Cross, 2021; Tyrus, 2020). They perceive the world as unpredictable, inconsistent, and untrustworthy (Donnelly et al., 2022, pp. 787-795). Many black fatherless males in foster care are showing a decline in their academic interest, a decrease in their classroom energy levels, a reluctance to participate, an engagement in extracurricular activities that are not related to the curriculum, and disruptive behavior in school (Harvey, 2021; King, 2024, pp. 183-198). Their relentless traumas erode their self-efficacy.
Likewise, diminishing acceptance of their ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task exposes their vulnerability to pseudo-masculine prototypes. Their susceptibility to unfavorable influences is a dynamic that clothes itself in authenticity (Brown, 2021, pp. 1159-1168). The coercion exhibited by the pseudo-masculine prototypes sanctions the black male foster child’s venom, which negatively inhibits their relationships (Wallace, 2024). This cohort’s acute unfavorable trend culminates in poor academic performance, including black high school male students (Mac Donald, 2023). Many are documented as dropping out of school, joining gangs, becoming a follower rather than a leader, and homelessness (Joseph, 2022, pp. 891-916).
However, elevating a broad spectrum of activists, specifically religious institutions, political representatives, educators, policymakers, mental health professionals, the average citizen, and community members, to accept they have a crucial role in addressing the methodology and resolving these challenges is never ceasing. With their unwavering interventions and support, a brighter future looms as caring people make a significant difference in the lives of these young men and, by proxy, their male children, and pave the way for a more promising tomorrow because communication is information exchanged and understood (Baldwin et al., 2022, pp. 567-586). The black male’s verbal, nonverbal, and written communication becomes an asset and not a liability, which injures or inhibits his efforts to understand and communicate with his biological black son (Burgoon et al., 2021, pp. 76-111).
Summary
As previously emphasized, this study argues the point that this literature review underscores the pressing need for immediate, pertinent information to fully comprehend the unique experiences of black male foster children and their implications as they form relationships with their sons (Brown & Aytuglu, 2020, pp. 273-290). A father’s involvement in their children’s lives, particularly during the crucial early years, significantly influences children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development (Alston, 2021; Deneault et al., 2021, pp. 43-66; Diniz et al., 2023, pp. 2710-2730). The substantial benefits of black fathers’ involvement during the child’s formative years, the most plastic time of brain development, have been extensively documented (Amodia-Bidakowska et al., 2020; Puglisi et al., 2024). Black fathers, especially those who have endured compounded situational traumas such as fatherlessness, separation from biological mother, foster care, and societal pressures to conform to ‘pseudo-masculine imposters, ‘have been identified as needing help for success (Ascencio, 2024; Blakeslee et al., 2023). Researchers acknowledge that childhood traumas inevitably compound experiential and situational loss.
The research further concluded that consequential childhood experiences amplify upon entering foster care and leaving their cultural environment behind(Chavis & Johnson, 2023). Moreover, the black males aging out of foster care represent a unique cohort due to their experiences of trauma, loss, and the challenges of transitioning to adulthood, which make them prone to extensive anti-social behavior, lower-than-average academic achievements, mental health issues, and confusion regarding gender, sex, and fathering (Brandon-Friedman, 2022, pp. 924-946). One point worth noting is that the research proposes that the black male foster child struggles to establish normal relationships that reflect the benchmark indicative of the status quo (Back et al., 2023). However, the lack of documentation of their experiences building relationships with their sons is a significant gap in the current understanding. This gap underscores the need for further research and support. The research does not explore the challenges that inhibit their relationship-building with their black sons, nor does it illuminate their ability, willingness, or opportunities to work through these challenges from the foster black adult male perspective. The evidence suggests that the research is of utmost importance, as it provides a better understanding of how to assist these black male fathers who were foster children and now have sons themselves in this stage of their lives, engaging professionals in the field and committing them to the cause.
Chapter 3: Research Method
This research is of significant importance as it examines the feelings and thoughts of black males who have experienced fatherlessness and foster care, a topic of great relevance in social work, psychology, and family studies. Our investigation, which is not feasible with quantitative research, holds a profound significance in these fields (Creswell & Creswell, 2024). The diverse options of qualitative research provide a rich spectrum for this type of research, and our focus on the dynamic relationship with sons and challenges in relationship-building is directly relevant to diverse fields of study (Sensing, 2022). The explanatory qualitative case study design will investigate the complex issues arising from father-son relationships, with a construct that includes three constants: black males, fatherless, and foster care.
This research will employ a unique and innovative explanatory qualitative case study design (Yin, 2018, pp. 13-23). Unlike the often broad and numerical focus of quantitative research, this design will intentionally delve into the complexities of a specific situation, in this case, the experiences of black male fathers raised in foster care who subsequently become fathers. This approach, which is more comprehensive than a single source of information, is a key feature of our study (Creswell & Poth, 2024). However, an explanatory qualitative case study is more comprehensive than a single source of information (Creswell & Poth, 2024). Case studies are unique because they comprise five types: collective, descriptive, explanatory, instrumental, and intrinsic (Shrivastava et al., 2024). The five types of case studies appraise qualitative data, synthesize, and congeal the information from numerous sources. A collection of document types to assist with data analysis, interviewer-led interviews, and epidemiological studies are consulted and synthesized. This comprehensive approach makes the qualitative explanatory case method ideal for individuals’ evaluations. The research seeks answers to the how and why in the life situations of the black male, which stems from the individual’s natural setting, complemented by interactions within the influential spheres of his life.
Contextualization is the process of identifying and representing relationships, and it is also the research process of evaluating the experiences of Black male fathers raised in foster care and their subsequent relationships with their biological sons. The question is how these black males manage the contextualization of experiences against the backdrop of fatherlessness and foster care, which are influential factors affecting relationships and relationship outcomes (Osbeck & Antczak, 2021, pp. 62-68).
The research specifically focuses on a unique group of individuals: black males who have spent a significant period, five or more years, in foster care and were fatherless when they entered the welfare system (Rambert, 2021, pp. 324-362). This same group of men will now have sons who are five to ten years old, with whom they may or may not have a relationship. While fathers of daughters and their relationships are highly relevant, they are not the subject of this research. However, their relationship with their fathers is a dynamic factor directly related to their relationship with their sons. Therefore, it becomes a factor under consideration, as revealed by the subjects of this research. This research addresses three questions using a questionnaire, an open interview, documents, and artifacts. First, how do black fathers describe their experiences building relationships with their sons? Second, what are some challenges in the relationship-building process for black fathers? Third, how do black fathers work through these relationship-building challenges?
Research Methodology and Design
A qualitative case study enables a unique and distinguished application of research as a comprehensive investigative tool for a specific case. This comprehensive nature unfolds in the completed procedure, which includes the data collection means and process, the theoretical framework, and the research questions. Also, methodology is the research process within the case study design. As the cornerstone of this comprehensiveness, requisite strategies and techniques for gathering and analyzing qualitative data within a case study sets it aside for its unique application. The process uses in-depth interviews, observations, and document analysis. This research method is a qualitative case study. The qualitative case study is one of five types of qualitative research designs (Creswell & Poth, 2024; Sensing, 2022). The first is a narrative study, a qualitative study focused on a unique experience or experience by one or more people (McClish-Boyd & Bhattacharya, 2021, pp. 534-548; McClish-Boyd & Bhattacharya, 2023, pp. 584-594). The data collected is representative of the individuals in that it enables the researcher to dialogue their story (Prosek & Gibson, 2021, pp. 167-177). A phenomenological qualitative study focuses on reduction, intentionality, description, and essence (Bruna, 2022). This process serves the researchers delving into the experientiality of a phenomenon and its effect on the individual (Hennink et al., 2020). A grounded theory qualitative study has its foundation in systemic methodology and inductive reasoning (Charmaz & Thornberg, 2020, pp. 305-327). Social scientists choose the grounded theory research method, which is confluent with hypotheses, theories, and data analysis (Savin-Baden & Major, 2023). The Behavioral and social science fields (Pogrebin, 2021, pp. 602-608) often apply the ethnographic qualitative study. Information from Behavioral and Social Scientists suggests a preference for the ethnographic qualitative study. For these researchers, an ethnographic qualitative study’s favorable component is identifying participants based on their specific characteristics (Campbell et al., 2020, pp. 652-661).
The qualitative case study, the fifth method, is the preferred choice for this research. Unlike the ethnographic qualitative study, the qualitative case study offers a direct and unique perspective on human phenomena. This method also provides a first-hand view of the experiences of black males who have matriculated out of foster care and are now fathers. One unique feature of the qualitative case study is its design to bridge a niche in research. The research’s proprietary design, tailored to address the how and why questions, is unattainable with the application of other methodologies.
The uniqueness of the case study makes it the most suitable for this research. The comprehensive and exhaustive approach reveals an informative perspective on the lives of these individuals, further justifying the choice of the qualitative case study. This method will include 8-15 black male participants between the ages of 21 and 45, each of whom will have been in foster care for at least five years. The 8-15 black males will have had fathers who were absent from their biological homes and may have been absent from their foster care homes, too. The male participants will be the sons of mothers who are black females. The black males’ sons will be between 6-10 years old and reside within the same geographical area as their fathers.
The father can be a residential or non-residential father who is married, living within the same household, or sharing custody. The identified black males with sons are provided with an initial background form to establish if they meet the general criteria for the qualitative case study. The criteria include being between the ages of 21 and 45, having been in foster care for at least five years, and having had absent fathers. After completing the background form and meeting the requirements, the identified black males will receive a confidential questionnaire.
The confidential questionnaire will precede the semi-structured initial interview. Interviewee sessions will last from 45 to 60 minutes. The data collected is confidential and managed according to IRB requirements. The research process is thorough and includes a foundation of superlative ethical standards, with confidentiality as the cornerstone of the work. The commitment to transparency is a gold standard. This standard is adherence to fairness, respect, and sound faith principles. It is adherence to privacy designed to assure participants and academics of the intentional integrity of this scholastic work. Additionally, it conveys that the participants’ privacy and rights are not subject to abdication.
Population and Sample
The qualitative explanatory case study has a unique structural criteria encompassing special emphasis on the experiences and feelings of the subjects. This distinguishable feature establishes it as unique among other case studies, making it the most suitable for this research. Its comprehensive and exhaustive approach uncovers valuable and intriguing perspectives on the lives of these individuals, further justifying the choice of the qualitative explanatory case study.
This method participants are 8-15 black males between 21 and 45 years old. This age range is selected to ensure the participants have reached a level of maturity and independence, which is crucial for understanding their experiences objectively. Each participant will have been in foster care for at least five years. The 8-15 black males will have had fathers who were absent from their biological homes and may have been absent from their foster care homes, too. The male participants will be the sons of mothers who are black females.
The black males’ sons will be between 6-10 years old and reside within the same geographical area as their fathers. The focus on black males and their interaction with their sons is significant research that bridges gaps in the existing literature and contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the experiences of this cohort. The father can be a custodial or non-custodial father, a residential father who is married, living within the same household, or sharing custody and living independently. The identified black males with sons are carefully selected based on specific criteria and provided with an initial background form to establish if they meet the general criteria for the qualitative explanatory case study. The requirements include being between the ages of 21 and 45, being placed in foster care and remaining in foster care for at least five years, and having absent fathers. This rigorous selection process ensures that the participants are well-suited for the study.
After completing the background form and meeting the requirements, the identified black males will receive a confidential questionnaire. The semi-structured initial interview will follow the confidential questionnaire. The one-on-one sessions will be 45-60 minutes in length. The confidential data acquired from each individual is managed according to IRB requirements. These standards ensure the utmost security and protection. Unequivocal ethical standards and confidentiality govern the entire research process, the cornerstones of the work.
The commitment to transparency in the data collection does not inhibit reverence for confidentiality. This standard adheres to fairness, respect, and sound faith principles. It adheres to privacy designed to assure participants and academics of the intentional integrity of this scholastic work. Additionally, it conveys that the participants’ privacy and rights are not subject to abdication.
The subject pool is a purposive sampling of black males who have been in foster care for more than five years, who were fatherless doing or before entering foster care, and who are now fathers of male sons at least six years old.
The research will employ various social media platforms, newspapers, and other means of communicating with the public to invite anonymous participation in the study. The purpose of the questionnaire is to establish their fitness within the perimeters of the research. Randomized generated names and numbers will be used instead of actual names to protect their privacy. The research solicitation period for participants is thirty days. A minimum of eight participants is preferred; however, the research will proceed with five black males and adjust the new minimum. The selection process ensures a representative sample, enhancing the study’s validity. There is anticipated reluctance to come forth and participate in this academic research.
Materials/Instruments
This qualitative explanatory case study will incorporate the following instruments and materials in its Research.
When a participant contacts us, they will receive an initial interview form to assess the minimum requirements for participating in the Research. The initial contact will also express appreciation for their willingness to share, acknowledge the value of their time, and desire to support this Research. All individuals who do not fulfill the minimum criteria will receive a thank-you letter expressing appreciation for their interest in the Research.
A published media request invites Black men who have been in foster care and who were fatherless to contact the researcher if they are willing to participate in the research study exploring the experiences of Black male fathers who were in foster care and are now navigating their relationships with their sons. The publication (Appendix I) will appear on social media platforms and in several local newspapers.Upon meeting the minimum requirements, participants will receive Appendix G, the Consent to Participate in the Research form. Once signed by both the participant and the researcher, this form serves as a mutual agreement and understanding of the Research process. Both parties will retain a copy of the consent.
The researcher will provide the participant with an alias used for the duration of the Research and any future use of the material provided by the participants. Upon meeting all criteria, the researcher and participant will coordinate a time to complete the questionnaire (Appendix H). The researcher will conduct a semi-structured interview with the participants. The recorded interview is video or audio. After the interview, the researcher will provide the participant with a recording copy. After the research process, the researcher will send a thank-you letter to all participants. This letter will reassure them of the strict confidentiality of the Research and remind them that they can withdraw their participation within two weeks of the date of the semi-structured interview, ensuring their privacy and comfort throughout the process.
Data Collection, Processing, and Analysis
This research aims to provide insights into the communication methods of fatherless Black males subjected to foster care as they interact with their sons and manage conflicts. Effective conflict resolution is crucial for developing negotiation skills and maintaining healthy individual relationships. Unresolved conflict leads to chronic anxiety, depression, helplessness, and feelings of loneliness accompanied by isolation. The individual’s overlooked needs and the internalization of negative emotions and thoughts create a unique dynamic that can influence all of a child’s relationships throughout their lifetime. Statistically, Black males dominate the cohorts of fatherlessness and foster care. Their domination warrants a deeper inquiry into why they think about relationships the way they do. And why do their perspectives vastly differ from the general ideology of their cohort regarding fathers, sons, and conflict resolution?
Historically, building healthy relationships has not served as a foundational pillar for fatherless Black males. Instead, the failure to establish healthy relationships results from the unabetted confluence of unresolved issues and controversy. However, many black males will embrace the role of fathers and demonstrate remarkable resilience and adaptability. This creates a fascinating dynamic. These Black fathers rise to the challenge without their biological fathers, inspiring us with their strength. This raises the question: how do they describe their experiences in building relationships with their sons? Their framework in this regard lacks a real-life model. All first-time fathers encounter relationship challenges. What are some common challenges in the relationship-building process for Black fathers, and how do they navigate these obstacles?
The data collected from the Detailed Instructions for Participant Survey will serve as the foundation for the data collection process. An Informed Consent Form emphasizing confidentiality will be provided by the Researcher to each identified participant and signed by them and the Researcher. When this criterion is met and accompanied by the Consent to Take Part in the Research form, the participant will engage in an open interview consisting of eight categories of questions, with a duration not exceeding 60 minutes. Although the availability of fatherless black males who have been in foster care is substantial, reaching them and securing their participation is likely to be challenging due to findings from academic research. This challenge is a potential study limitation, and the Researcher’s efforts will be to mitigate it.
The Researcher will examine the subjective data sampling for comparable and unique inferences. Both perspectives will contribute significantly to understanding the unique mindset, maturation through nature and nurture, socio-economic implications, and views on the impact on Black family structure. This research is a unique perspective on the communication processes of fatherless black males and sons. An additional gain from the thoughts behind the dialogue between the two black males is that it could significantly contribute to the field of child welfare and family dynamics.
Validity and Reliability
The researcher collects data through in-depth interviews with a focused sample of fatherless black males. These fathers have sons meeting the age criteria for assessing father-to-son communication and conflict resolution. The initial interview also determined that the fathers had experienced at least five years of foster care during their youth.
A research log will document all contact points with the fathers and the corresponding information retrieval and analysis. The semi-structured interview serves multiple purposes for the research. First, it allows a guided flow of print, audio, or video information into one format. The formatted study remains in a locked cabinet accessible only to the researcher. Second, the recorded semi-structured interview verifies the content and certifies the individual. Finally, the interviews support thematic analysis through triangulation. The research establishes Cross-validation through interviews, researcher field notes, and member checking. Every effort is to document the minute details for another researcher’s favorable replication of the process.
Member checking is a two-pronged process that substantiates validity and reliability. After organizing the notes and interviews for each participant, the researcher will send them the collated research information. The research methodology continues with the black male participant reviewing the collected data and assessment and providing feedback for further documentation. The individual’s secure communication with the researcher will include this follow-up correspondence.
Validity is further established through the interpretive accuracy of the explanatory qualitative case study, reflecting the researcher’s commitment to capturing the experiential aspects of the fatherless black male’s interpersonal communication, especially with their son. Reliability is established when other researchers repeat the interview process and validate the researcher’s overall conclusions in the summary. The researcher’s notes will include an audit trail and emphasize data collection and analysis throughout the research process.
Assumptions
Fatherlessness is now an epidemic that is rapidly rising exponentially around the world. In America, the fatherlessness epidemic is most impactful upon the structure of black families being without male headship (Rambert, 2021, pp. 324-362; (Roberts, 2022). The lack of black male headship is a significant factor influencing the trajectory of the growth of young black males who have lives interrupted by extended periods of foster care (Pryce & Yelick, 2020, pp. 45-68). Communication between these black males and their fathers is marginal, and their physical absence denies them the presence of a black role model as a man, a husband, and a father (Randles, 2020, pp. 96-112). Therefore, this research assumes the following.:
- Some Children are in Foster Care
- Some Black male children are in foster care
- Some children have absent fathers
- Some Black male children have absent fathers
- Some Black boys in foster care often have absent fathers
- Some males become fathers
- Some Black males become fathers
- Some Black male children in foster care often grow up without fathers and tend to
become fathers themselves - Some Fathers and Sons have conflicts
- Some Black fathers and sons have conflicts
- Some Black male children in foster care often have absent fathers and tend to
become fathers themselves, facing conflicts with their sons
Additionally, the fatherless black male has not seen communication and conflict resolution modeled by a black father, and now he has become a father. Therefore, he begins the new dynamic of fatherhood with a blank or negative template for father-son interactions. The investigation into the thoughts and feelings of this group of males assumes their willingness to accurately self-report their past and current experiences associated with fatherlessness, foster care, and fatherhood. The research also assumes the presence of conflict and delves into managing conflict to obtain favorable resolutions between the father and the son. The resolve is to better understand their perspective, driven by intense emotions, on relationships and how and why they manage the crisis as they choose.
Limitations
The technological skills of the researcher significantly limit this study, yet the importance of the research cannot be overstated. With proper training and resources, a more skilled researcher or team could eliminate inefficient trial-and-error methods, leading to improved overall efficiency and stronger connections with the target audience—fatherless Black fathers.
Moreover, the sensitive nature of the study is hindered by limited access to Black males who have entered foster care. A legal privacy barrier restricts access to those who have spent five or more years in care before reaching adulthood. However, engaging individuals documented within the system could be a crucial step. This approach might help identify a pool of candidates for this research through statistical analysis conducted by the Department of Human Resources, potentially enhancing the study’s outcomes.
This investigation explores the thoughts and feelings of this group of men, hoping they will feel comfortable sharing their honest experiences related to fatherlessness, foster care, and fatherhood.
Ultimately, the stakes are high for Black males aging out of foster care. These young, fatherless Black males often confront a bleak future, facing a higher risk of poverty, homelessness, sexual offenses, and involvement in violent crimes. Some may even regress into a feral existence, fading into obscurity and isolation, despite being considered young adults. This underscores the urgency of the issue and the need for effective interventions, as some of these men are likely to become absent fathers, perpetuating fatherlessness for their sons.
Delimitations
Men from diverse backgrounds become fathers. However, the research deliberately focuses on one specific group of fathers: fatherless black males who have spent five or more years in foster care. These men, now fathers themselves, face unique challenges in nurturing their relationships with their sons, as they lack a prior model of a black father (Robinson, 2021, pp. 820-839). This research highlights a significant aspect of fatherhood that has been under-examined.
This study is not a comprehensive examination of the innumerable issues facing fatherless black males, whether in or out of the foster care system. Instead, it is a focused exploration of these black fathers’ unique communication and conflict resolution challenges as they strive to establish and nurture relationships with their sons (Powe et al., 2023, pp. 295-311). The research is committed to understanding their struggles without a paternal model and aims to make a meaningful contribution to the field.
While many issues facing black males are gaining academic interest and public attention, the lives of fatherless black males—exacerbated by the Fatherless Son Syndrome, Motherless Son Syndrome, Depleted Father Syndrome, and foster care—remain largely unexplored. This research is urgently needed to evaluate how they approach conflict management and resolution, historically and in the present, explicitly focusing on their relationships with their black sons.
Ethical Assurances
Transparency in data collection reflects the researcher’s commitment to and respect for confidentiality (Campbell et al., 2021, pp. 177-200; Kwan et al., 2021, pp. 82-93). The researcher will strictly adhere to current laws and regulations that protect the privacy of fatherless Black males. Academics and participants are assured that the privacy and rights of all individuals and their information are well protected (Wang et al., 2024, pp. 1-14).
The IRB must approve the start of all research. Researchers must comprehend privacy rights and their protections as essential for research. Adherence to privacy rights and their protection is standard for this research. Lack of approval by the IRB prevents any study from starting. This research will only begin after it has been submitted to and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Only after this approval can researchers reach out to potential participants. Once the research project commences, the researcher must provide the committee chair with detailed information regarding the methods and procedures used to recruit participants, safeguard their privacy, and document and secure their personal information.
All steps will be submitted for approval before implementation by sharing the intent and process with the chairperson. All steps will be resubmitted to the chairperson to verify that the research stage did not violate the standards established by the IRB or any other laws and regulations. The research value is inherent in the sustainability of the privacy and rights of all individuals involved, whether directly or indirectly. These standards are in place to ensure the utmost security and protection of everyone (Wang et al., 2024, pp. 1-14).
The researcher acknowledges that his five years in foster care have introduced biases that may influence how he interprets participants’ voluntarily shared information, analyzes scholarly articles, and compiles the final research summary. Furthermore, as a student of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, his Christian beliefs shape his understanding of the Scriptures, impacting his research. Therefore, at least three readers will evaluate the research process and the conclusions drawn by the researcher. This will be conducted in adherence to IRB standards, which safeguard the privacy and rights of all participants.
Summary
To attain excellence, researchers should employ either a qualitative explanatory case study or a phenomenological qualitative case study. This investigation utilizes the qualitative explanatory case study approach to understand the reasons and processes affecting how fatherless Black males communicate and handle conflicts with their sons. The goal is to explore the motivations behind specific communication patterns. To achieve this, the researcher gathers data through semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, note analysis, input from various individuals, observations, relevant documents, records, and reports.
The target cohort comprises fatherless Black males who have also been wards of the state. Over the past 70 years, America has confronted an epidemic of broken Black family homes. As a result, Black fathers have often been absent for various reasons, which has created a scarcity of father figures for their sons. The factors contributing to this absence include imprisonment, death, desertion, abandonment, and other unknown circumstances.
The research applied strict measures to ensure its integrity by protecting the confidentiality and privacy of Black fatherless male participants and their data. The study follows the rules and regulations set by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). The researcher has recruited several individuals to act as watchdogs, raising alerts if any ethical, moral, or legal breaches occur or are suspected. This increased transparency improves the quality of the research and positions it as a benchmark and replicable standard.
Finally, the researcher spent over five years in foster care from ages 11 to 17. He is currently a certified instructor for TIPPS in Alabama. The home has served as a foster home for more than 60 children. The Ballard family has adopted 10 children out of foster care and maintains ongoing relationships with several who visit regularly for a day, a weekend, or a weekly stay. The researcher is a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a non-denominational Bishop, and a servant. His lifelong connection to foster care, both from within and outside the system, may introduce bias into the research. For this reason, multiple reviewers will carefully examine and analyze the work.
The researcher has also played the role of an absent father. The three oldest daughters and eldest son have engaged in various relationships, exploring their sexual identities and same-sex relationships. They have faced extreme hardship, often finding themselves homeless or sleeping in any available place. They have children by different fathers, starting from pregnancy and birth during high school. They have tried and continue to use multiple illegal drugs. One has committed theft, which led to incarceration. Their lifestyle involves residing in subsidized housing, interacting with violent drug dealers, and experiencing instability that results in frequent relocations. I have found it challenging to understand and accept the impact of my absence on their development during critical years. The researcher’s motivation is influenced and colored by this lived experience.
Celebrating Children 